In 1888, the first recorded arrests in the United States for female impersonation took place at the home of William Dorsey Swann, a black man. Less than a mile from the White House, Swann and twelve other men of color were arrested and charged with vagrancy after police raided a secret drag dance he was hosting. The following day the headline in the Evening Star read “Colored Men in Female Attire.”

The erasure of the contributions and sacrifices of people of color is rampant throughout our history, not only as a country, but as a community. Individuals of color have long been an integral part of the LGBTQ community and they are deserving of recognition and praise.

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“‘Poor little porn star,’ his somber, dark gaze seemed to convey, though in my mind I suddenly imagined I was seated at the head of a garishly decorated room, noise makers filling the air, the guest of honor at his surprise pity party, so generously thrown on my behalf.”

The opening line to gay adult film star Chris Harder’s HuffPost article titled “Exiting the Porn Star Pity Party” is one of many encounters Harder has had with individuals who have seen one of his movies and felt the need to tell him he’s better than that.

2017 was a roller coaster of a year. Our highs were marked with great achievements and big celebrations, and our lows were filled with the passing of great LGBTQ leaders and fear-filled headlines we thought we would never read.

Below we look back on the top 5 LGBTQ headlines out of Central Florida, Tampa Bay, from the state of Florida and across the nation, and the world.

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ORLANDO | Miami-based Kenergy Scientific, Inc. announced that it has completed a major milestone in acquiring Parliament Holdings Inc., the company that owns and operates the Parliament House Resort in Orlando, Nov. 13.

In the next 30 days, Kenergy will transition in the new management, file notice for a symbol and name change and plans to expand the existing operations. In addition, they plan to begin construction on additional buildings to the resort, according to a press release.

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On November 8, Miracle of Love, an HIV/AIDS education and awareness organization based in Orlando, will stage its second Project Red: An Art Experience event at Parliament House on Orange Blossom Trail. The event will feature artists from around the area in theatre, visual art, fashion, music and other mediums. Proceeds from the event will go to fund Miracle of Love’s community endeavors, including programs for pregnant women, housing for HIV positive individuals, and care management assistance for underinsured or non-insured individuals with HIV/AIDS.

The first Project Red: An Art Experience took place in 2015, when an artist approached Miracle of Love with the idea to stage an art show that communicated to an audience what the color red meant to them.

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Our previous issue said it best, Halloween is like our Gay Christmas! The crowds at the Parliament House Resort packed the courtyard with some of the most epic costumes this side of Halloweentown on Saturday, Oct. 28. Surely, the huge cash prizes has nothing to do with it, right?

The ghouls and goblins alike lined up for the big prized money, despite the wet weather. The big winner was Game of Thrones‘ Jon Snow riding a dragon that blew out actual smoke.

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Parliament House was all pink for their Libby’s Legacy Breast Cancer Foundation Benefit on Oct. 7.

The evening was filled with pink champagne and lots of “Pink Drink,” as well as a silent auction, live auctions and raffle prizes. The funds raised from all of these, and a portion of the door, went to Libby’s Legacy to provide comprehensive breast health services to the underinsured and uninsured Central Florida community.

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ORLANDO | Parliament House makes “Pink the New Black” as they present Pink, a Benefit for Libby’s Legacy Breast Cancer Foundation, on Oct. 7.

“It’s going to be all pink,” says Parliament House’s Marla Harris. ” Everyone is going to be wearing pink and Parliament House will be decorated all in pink, and then we will have our signature pink drinks.”

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Halloween can be a profitable night, in addition to being fun. Even if you’re not looking to compete, the big prizes are a good indication of where some of the most creative costumes can be viewed. Here some of the prizes we knew about at press time.

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At the New York 2017 RuPaul’s Drag-Con, fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race were treated to an unexpected surprise.

Soon after a make-up panel—where Central Florida’s Ginger Minj (Josh Eads) gave 8-year old internet drag sensation Lactatia a make-over—Ginger asked Lactatia “I’ve done your make up and your wig, can you do something for me? Do you want to be my flower girl?” Then Ginger announced she was getting married today.

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ORLANDO | Don Granatstein and Susan Unger, owners of the world famous Parliament House, will sell off five acres of land to settle unresolved debt that has hounded them for more than a decade, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Granatstein and Unger are selling the five acres to Lion Financial, a Miami firm co-owned by Ron Simkins and brother Michael Simkins.

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Watermark is a multi-faceted media company using opportunities and innovations to communicate and advance LGBT interests, with a corporate emphasis on professionalism while building strong relationships with our readers, customers and community.

Watermark Media was founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando in 1994, and expanded to Tampa Bay in 1995. Dyer is an attorney, former board member of the Metropolitan Business Association and Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and current advisory board member of the Harvey Milk Foundation.

Watermark prints up to 20,000 copies every other Thursday, and distributes them in more than 500 locations throughout Orlando, Tampa Bay, Sarasota and throughout the state. The newspaper donates more than $200,000 annually in free and sponsor advertising to worthy local and national LGBT non-profits.

Watermarkonline.com was launched in 1999. The award-winning newspaper currently maintains offices in Tampa Bay and Orlando and employs a full-time staff of 12, along with several part-time and freelance contributors.

Watermark Publishing Group, founded by publisher Rick Claggett, purchased Watermark in January of 2016. Rick Claggett is a long-time employee of Watermark Media and former board member of both the Metropolitan Business Association and Come Out With Pride.Read More...